My background is in Tropical Agrobiology and Bioresource Management at the Faculty Of TropicalAgriSciences, Czech University of Life Science, Prague. Currently, I am a member of the R&D project group at Mendel University in Brno. My interest is embedded in tropical agriculture, plant research, and the development of third-world countries. For my MSc and PhD theses, I worked on the domestication of Garcinia kola Heckel, a medicinal tree indigenous to West and Central Africa. Having experiences in scientific as well as development-aid projects in Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Zambia, I am searching for an answer to how to combine these two approaches so that they complement each other rather than discriminate.
My position at SLU is bound to PlantLink, a research network in plant science in the south of Sweden. My responsibilities include internal and external communication, science popularisation, and outreach activities.
Selected projects:
Moringa platform development: Identifying knowledge gaps for sustainability and livelihood improvement in East and South Africa; donor: SLU Global; implementation period: 2023-2024; responsibilities: project coordinator
Circular Case Studies: Food systems transformation through transdisciplinarity and cooperation (2CS); donor: EuroLeague for Life Sciences; implementation period: 2023; responsibilities: project drafting and management
Developing practical teaching and supporting research at Arba Minch University in Ethiopia; donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs Czech Republic; implementation period: 2022; responsibilities: project coordination
Implementation of Project-Based Learning among master’s degree students in selected ELLS Universities (iPBL-EU); donor: Euro League for Life Sciences; implementation period: 2022; responsibilities: project preparation and management, implementation of PBL study cases
Implementation of fruit value chain for improved nutrition and efficient production in Arba Minch Zuria, Gamo Gofa, SNNPR, Ethiopia; donor: Czech Development Agency; implementation period: 2020-23; responsibilities: help in project coordination, expertise in fruit production and diversification
Protection of Awassa Lake through sustainable management of the surrounding landscape; donor: Czech Development Agency; implementation period: 2019-22; responsibilities: help in project management, expertise in agroforestry
Agribusiness for LIFE – Livelihoods, Innovation, Food & Empowerment; donor: Czech Development Agency; implementation period: 2018-21; responsibilities: expertise in crop diversification, research on underutilized plant species
Mechanisms of soil organic matter turnover in the Congo Basin along the land-use gradient; donor: Czech Science Foundation; implementation period: 2018-20; responsibilities: biodiversity evaluation, field experiments, on-site coordination
Strengthening of teaching, research and networking capacities at the University of Barotseland in Mongu for agricultural development of West Province, Zambia; donor: Czech Development Agency; implementation period: 2019; responsibilities: lecturing courses on agroforestry and sustainable agriculture practices
Research fellowship at World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) in Cameroon
Arba Minch University in SNNPR, Ethiopia
Adama Science and Technology University, Oromia, Ethiopia
Maňourová A, Chinheya IP, Kalousová M, et al. 2023. Domestication Potential of Garcinia kola Heckel (Clusiaceae): Searching for Diversity in South Cameroon. Plants 2023, 12, 742. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12040742
Manourova A, Polesny Z, Lojka B, et al. 2023. Tracing the Tradition: Regional Differences in the Cultivation, Utilization, and Commercialization of Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola, Clusiaceae) in Cameroon. Economic Botany. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-022-09564-5
Tauchen J, Frankova A, Manourova A, et al. 2023. Garcinia kola: A critical review on chemistry and pharmacology of an important West African medicinal plant. Phytochemistry Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-023-09869-w
Ruiz Chután AJ, Berdúo-Sandoval JE, Maňourová A. 2023. Variability analysis of wild Guatemalan avocado germplasm based on agro-morphological traits. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems 26 (2). DOI: 10.56369/tsaes.4663
Teutscherova N, Manourova A, Lojka B, Tejnecky V, et al. 2022. Effect of farming on the vegetation structure, soil properties and termite assemblages in the Northern Congo basin. Land Degradation and Development. DOI: 10.1002/ldr.4294
Kyereh D, Manourova A, Hendre PS, Muchugi A, et al. 2021. Diversity, Chemical Composition, and Domestication Potential of Allanblackia parviflora A. Chev. in West Africa. Forests, 12(12), 1758.
Frankova A, Manourova A, Kotikova Z, Vejvodova K, et al. 2021. The chemical composition of oils and cakes of Ochna serrulata (Ochnaceae) and other neglected traditional oil trees from western Zambia. Molecules, 1318119
Manourova A, Leuner O, Tchoundjeu Z, Van Damme P, et al. 2019. Medicinal Potential, Utilization and Domestication Status of Bitter Kola (Garcinia kola Heckel) in West and Central Africa, Forests 10: 124